Hurricanes no worse w/ global warming?

A prominent federal scientist conducted study

May 18, 2008 12:00:00 AM PDT

WASHINGTON --

A study by a prominent federal scientist suggests that global warming isn't to blame for the recent jump in Atlantic hurricanes. In the past, research meteorologist Tom Knutson has raised concerns about the effects of climate change on storms. His new paper has the potential to stir up debate among meteorologists about current and future effects of global warming in the Atlantic.

The study, published online Sunday in the journal Nature Geoscience, predicts that by the end of the century the number of hurricanes in the Atlantic will fall by 18 percent.

Hurricanes have often been seen as a symbol of global warming's wrath. But the new study argues against the notion there has already been a dramatic increase in Atlantic hurricane activity resulting from greenhouse warming.